Health Informatics Student Organization (HISO) featured member: Jessica Branski, president 

Degree: Master of Health Informatics, ‘22

Home: I moved a lot while growing up, but I’ve been in Ann Arbor for the last 11 years so this feels most like home.

Goal of organization: The Health Informatics Student Organization represents all Master of Health Informatics (MHI) students to the program’s partner schools and the University as a whole. We aim to enrich the program experience for students by providing academic, professional and social opportunities.

Why I’m involved: I joined the HISO board for two reasons. Mostly, I wanted to play an active role in creating a community for MHI students as we slowly move out of the pandemic and a season where being connected was very challenging. I also wanted to play an active role in integrating MHI students more fully into the School of Public Health.

Membership: Students in the MHI Program and in the Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics program are automatically members of HISO.

Noteworthy: We act as a bridge between the MHI student body and the School of Information and School of Public Health administrations.

A good reason to join: If you are in the health informatics master’s degree or certificate programs, I recommend joining the executive board if you want to improve the MHI program and experience for your peers and for students who will come after you.

Important events/activities: We value opportunities to foster community between MHI students, faculty and staff.

Meetings and activities: Most activities are informal opportunities to socialize with others.

Time commitment: Members can be as involved as they like. Board members usually spend a few hours a month engaged with HISO activities.

Interesting project: My favorite project has been setting up and maintaining the MHI Slack workspace. I love that it’s a place for MHI students to connect about coursework, ask questions, and plan to get together.

How to get involved: Every MHI student is automatically part of HISO. First-year students can join the board for their second year by running in the executive board election in the winter semester. You can reach out to the board at any time during the school year to ask about what it’s like to be on the board.

More information: You can reach us at [email protected]. MHI students can also reach out to the board in #hiso_forum channel in our Slack workspace. 

The Health Informatics Student Organization (HISO) serves as a forum for cohort-building activities, professional skills development, networking and student-led projects within the Master of Health Informatics program. HISO exists to also strengthen our relationships with the University of Michigan School of Information and School of Public Health communities. 

This student has graduated! This information was accurate at the time of publication.